15 days on, 25 public toilets still locked

Even after 15 days of locking 80 public toilets, the Chandigarh municipal corporation is able to hand over only 55 toilets to market welfare associations, while 25 are still locked, causing a great inconvenience to the public.

Even after 15 days of locking 80 public toilets, the Chandigarh municipal corporation is able to hand over only 55 toilets to market welfare associations, while 25 are still locked, causing a great inconvenience to the public.

Also, double standard of the civic body has come to the fore as it is planning to allot toilets to market welfare association at Rs 12,500 per month, but the MC in a statement to the Punjab and Haryana high court has said that the contract of agency has been cancelled as they were not able to provide the break up of employees at Rs 12,884 per month.

The MC was also demanding deployment of three persons at one toilet for 12 hours from the agency, but now while giving toilets to associations, they are not following any terms and conditions.

Question is being raised, why market welfare associations is going to maintain t oil et s atRs 12,500 per month as the MC has already decided to pay district collector rate, which is Rs 9,000 per person for eight hours. The matter will be taken up in the finance and contract committee meeting, which is scheduled to be held on May 29.

However, when contacted, Gupreet Singh, executive engineer, public health, refused to comment on the issue.

Under fire from people over locking toilets in various city markets since May 11, the Chandigarh MC decided to hand them over to the market welfare associations on temporary basis till they for mulate any policy.

Though some of the market welfare associations came forward, others are reluctant to take over as they believe it is temporary basis and associations have to shell out for its operations and maintenance, the cost of which will come to around Rs 20,000 per month. As per the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976 (as applicable in Chandigarh), Clause 285 states that the civic body should keep the toilets running and in a good condition.

The MC on May 11 locked these toilets across city markets after the high court directed the agency, which was operating and maintaining them, to hand them over to the MC.